SHRI VIJAY GOEL FELICITATES ANJU
BOBBY GEORGE
"
WE WILL RETURN WITH AN OLYMPIC MEDAL" - BOBBY GEORGE
`Coming Era is Sports
Era’ said Shri Vijay Goel, Minister of State for Youth Affairs
& Sports while welcoming Ms. Anju Bobby George and her coach
and husband Mr. Bobby George at his residence today. Shri Goel
said that India is proud of her achievement of securing a bronze
medal in World Athletic Finals in Paris recently.
Shri
Goel said that people are awakening to sports in India leading
to resurgence in Indian sports. He said that the goal is to make
sports within the reach of common man and all facilities would
be provided for sports persons. He announced that Indians had
qualified for Olympics in many arenas i.e. Sujeet Mann and Sushil
Kumar in wrestling, Anjali Bhagwat, Abhinav Bindra and the latest,
Major Raghvendra Singh Rathore in shooting and in the field of
archery. He praised the efforts of Sports Authority of India for
their crucial role in providing infrastructure, facilities and
training to sports persons in all disciplines.
Ms. Anju Bobby
George thanked Shri Goel for the warm welcome. She expressed her
gratefulness to the Ministry of Sports for all the help rendered
for her training and for the prompt help when she lost her passport
and valuables in Monaco. She said that an Olympic medal was her
immediate target and the seven meters jump was well within her
reach. Mr. Bobby George thank the Ministry of Sports for making
Anju’s foreign trippossible.
He said " We will come again with an Olympic medal."
He also spoke of the need for better infrastructure facilities
within the country.
While replying
to queries the Minister said that Ministry will leave no stone
unturned to help the sports persons. Referring to Jug Raj Singh,
he said that the Ministry will fund any or all the expenditure
needed for his treatment and was in regular touch with the Indian
Hockey Federation and the hospital authorities. The Ministry had
sent him Rs. 1 lakh yesterday and would fund the cost of foreign
treatment also. Regarding Indo-Pak cricketing ties, he said that
a good beginning had been made with junior level team going to
Pakistan. When the relations with Pakistan are more cordial, only
then the decision would be taken on the senior level team’s participation.
Shri Goel also
mentioned that the National Sports Development Fund was being
planned to be renamed as Prime Minister’s National Sports Development
Fund. Regarding corporate funding for sports, he said that meetings
will be held with various corporate houses. As cricket and hockey
have already got sponsors, the resurgence in other sports i.e.
volley ball, wrestling, archery, foot ball would see sponsors
for these sports as well.
